New Liberty
|sector= |system=Vega System |stars=Vega |moons=1 (Cheval) |satellites=Charlemagne Orbital Defense Platform |rotation= |orbit= |diameter=10,132 kilometres (6,296 mi) |terrain= |gravity=0.989 G |temperature=-34°C to 40°C (-29°F to 104°C) |climate= |atmosphere= 1.01 (N2, O2) |species= (non-native) |technology tier=Tier 3 |government=Representative democracy/ Constitutional democracy |population=Approximately 20,500,000 |demonym= |continents=Trône-du-Nord, Ailes, Ancienne |countries=Deux de Normandie, Rennes, Ausud, among many other provinces. |cities=Charlemagne, Gradlon, Quatre Prêtres, Strasbourg, New Brittany, New Bourdeaux, Trésor de Marseille |industries= |affiliation= * }} New Liberty was a human colony world in the Vega system. Situated at 25 light years from the Sol system, it was one of the nearest Outer colonies before entering the Inner colonies. In early March of 2545, the planet was targeted for invasion by the Covenant, and was glassed within two weeks, after the defeat of the UNSC forces in system. Overview New Liberty is a planet of varying climates, spanning from mountainous regions to temperate plains to Mediterranean coast lines, that has a broad span of commerce and exports, ranging from crops to minerals. Being nearly two thirds the size of Earth, its' diameter measures approximately at 10,132 kilometers, compared to Earth's 12,756 kilometers. The planet only has one natural satellite, named Cheval, stabilizing New Liberty's tidal patterns. A sizable portion of New Liberty's population descend from the original settlers hailing from Western Europe. From the naming of major cities to entire provinces suggest France was the centralized nationality, while a fraction traveled from Belgium, naming many regions and cities on the continent Ancienne. History 'The Forerunners' The Forerunners once held a presence on the planet long before mankind's colonization of the planet. This is proven by the evidence of a complex located off the western edge of Ailes, submerged in the Ys Sea. 'Human Colonization' In 2417, New Liberty would be founded by human colonists aboard the CAA Morvac'h, a . Much like in other outer colonies, the ship would over time be dismantled to form the city of Charlemagne. The city and the surrounding regions would benefit agricultural growth thanks to its temperate climate. As decades passed, Charlemagne would expand, while other cities began to blossom. Many would establish themselves within the immediate area of the captial, and others erupting along the southern coastlines, with Mediterranean climates expanding agricultural venues for the developing colony. 'Hidden Discovery' With the following decades, much of the newly established continent of Ailes was populated, with colonists spreading further east, expanding down-trodden outposts into future cities. In 2448, the authorized several teams of marine biologists and oceanographers to examine and catalogue any indigenous aquatic life-forms, mainly to serve as an additional export, as more agricultural planets were being terraformed and settled. In the event that there were none suitable, they were to confirm if immigrant species’ could be transplanted and thrive in the planet's oceans. During the first few weeks, a team examining the Ys Sea, off the coast of the Rennes Province, came across a submerged, unidentifiable structure jutting forth from the nearby continental slope. When documentation was sent to the CAA, the made sure to commandeered any related documents and hijacked the project, situating a base right outside the coastal city of Gradlon. 'Siege of New Liberty' On March 7th, 2545, a fleet of at least twelve Covenant ships entered the system, encroaching the planet whose only defenses were devised of three Orbital Defense Platforms and fourteen varying UNSC warships. Though they posed a valiant defense and destroyed five of the enemy ships, nearly all ships were decimated, leaving a frigate, UNSC Theseus, in critical condition, retreating to the nearest shipping yard. The next three days, UNSC forces would have to rely on defending the ODP generators to keep the Covenant fleet at bay, though a number of corvettes would reach the surface to deploy ground forces, eliminating two of said generators. March 11th returned hope to the remaining human population as ships near system formed a battle group of twenty-one vessels to engage the seven remaining Covenant ships. After the engagement, both sides lost nearly half their respective ships, leaving a Covenant supercarrier and destroyer to harass the remaining UNSC battle group, while the two remaining frigates continued the assault on the planet’s surface. On March 12th, with the evacuation of Gradlon, the battle group finally uses MAC rounds to destroy one of the two Covenant frigates. Meanwhile, the supercarrier successfully destroys one UNSC vessel from afar before retreating back out of the ODP's range. By March 14th, a strike team was able to board the last frigate as it prepared to perform a slipspace jump, planting a HAVOK tactical nuclear device, effectively destroying the frigate while also draining the shields of the Covenant destroyer that came to assist. The next half hour would result in the destruction of the two remaining Covenant ships at the cost of three more UNSC vessels. March 20th would mark the final verdict of the planet as another Covenant fleet, nearly thirty ships in all, began destroying the final remnants of naval defense. Out of the seven ships remaining, along with the four vessels joining throughout the week to assist in removing the last of any Covenant outposts, only three were able to retreat from system. On the following day, the Covenant would commence with the glassing of the planet, resulting in a defeat for the UNSC. However, through the actions of ONI and UNSC special forces a week prior, the Covenant were denied access to any potentially vital information from the Forerunner structure within the Ys Sea. 'Covenant Control' Within the following months, the Covenant would create multiple outposts on portions of the planet that were not glassed, in an attempt to preserve notable Forerunner sites. These outposts would, however, need to be heavily reinforced as the resulting release of plasma onto New Liberty's surface would ruin its atmosphere, barely making the planet habitable. Excavation teams would find themselves under the observation of the Prophet of Clarity and Councilor Xiga 'Tagrahee in the first weeks after the conquering of New Liberty. Such operations would become tedious as fear of damaging such relics and constant sabotage from an unknown source impeded progress for a number of years. By 2549, a Jiralhanae chieftain, Heraktus, is assigned as a secondary enforcer on New Liberty. His constant confrontations with Councilor 'Tagrahee, and growing favoritism with Clarity would foreshadow events that would come to fruition in the near future. 'The Great Schism' In the year 2552, spanning between November 18 to November 21, multiple assassinations of the Sangheili had taken place by the larger Jiralhanae presence on the planet. Wanting answers, 'Tagrahee confronted Clarity against these crimes, only to find himself be executed by Chieftain Heraktus. By November 25, the last remnants of the sangheili and those loyal to them were exterminated, leaving Clarity the sole authority of further excavation on the planet. Under the iron fist of Heraktus, excavating became more rushed and less precise, using much more intrusive means of entry. These tactics warranted 756 Forlorn Observer to begin countermeasures, while also allowing Dr. Rinaldi to send a distress call through one of the relays still undiscovered and functional. 'Reclamation' In progress... Demographics 'Population' With a flow of immigrants for over the past century, and a colony boasting a population of over 20 million, the planet hosts diverse ethnicity. However, as is usual with colonies, such as Reach, initial colonists established core groups. The largest of these ethnic groups is of French heritage, while other notable groups include Belgium's Flemish and Walloon descendants. 'Language' Mirroring the planet's population, the two primary languages spoken and written are English and French. However, it should be mentioned that there are sizable communities within the provinces that contribute multiple secondary languages amongst the population. Such languages range from Dutch and German to Italian and Spanish. Defenses Though not nearly as important as humanity's homeworld, , or its' military stronghold of , New Liberty held an impressive arsenal to resist initial invasion attempts compared to other common Outer Colonies. Sporting three defense platforms, each armed with an iconic of the UNSC, they'd prove invaluable to the colony's prolonged survival. However, the last surviving platform would find its' demise when a secondary Covenant fleet conquered and glassed the planet. Total military manpower: 4,502,300 Total land assets: 17,420 Total naval assets: 250 Transport vessels; 14 Combat vessels Total air assets: 3,040 Serviceable airports: 331 Locations 'Ground Locations' *Ciel Territory **Trône-du-Nord ***Château Mountain Range **Ailes ***Deux de Normandie Province ****Quatre Prêtres ****Strasbourg ***Cygne Lake ***Est-Rivière Mountain Range ***Rennes Province ****Charlemagne ****New Brittany ****Gradlon ****Trident Base ***Dahut Island ***Grande Muraille Mountain Range ***Ausud Province ****New Bourdeaux ****Trésor de Marseille *Sagesse Territory **Ancienne ***New Brussels 'Orbital Locations' *Charlemagne Station *Marseille Station *New Brussels Station Trivia *New Liberty helped serve as a reference for the author to name many locations on the planet, as France constructed many statues of the Roman goddess, Libertas, the embodiment of freedom. *Charlemagne's origins would help in the decision of the dual heritage of New Liberty's citizens, as he was speculated to have been born in what would be modern-day Belgium. Gallery Planet Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of Earth's and New Liberty's sizes. Charlemagne.png|The city of Charlemagne, capital city of Ailes, and major hub of New Liberty.